Cylindrical core assembly for silo construction

ABSTRACT

Novel inner mold sections, for making inner mold forms are provided, that enable construction of silos without platforms as such inside the inner mold forms, by utilizing tension members that hold inner mold form sections together to support horizontal boards or like supports disposed about the inner periphery only of a silo being constructed.

Elnlte tates atent 1191 Weaver Mar. 18, 1975 CYLINDRICAL CORE ASSEMBLY FOR 1,298,941 4/1919 Harry et 11 249/192 SILQ CUNSTRUQTION 1,301,364 4/1919 Biggs 249/189 3,619,431 11/1971 Weaver et a1 425/110 [76] Inventor: Richard L. Weaver, Rt. 1,

Myestown, Pa. 17067 [22] Filed: June 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 478,224

Related [1.8. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 283,715, Aug. 25, 1972,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl 249/184, 249/1, 249/194 [51] llnt. Cl. B281) 7/28 [58] Field of Search 249/1, 17, 184, 189, 192, 249/194; 52/192-193, 245; 264/32 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,005 3/1912 Witthoefft 249/17 Primary E.raminerRobert D. Baldwin Assistant Examiner-John McQuade Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Paul & Paul [57] ABSTRACT Novel inner mold sections, for making inner mold forms are provided, that enable construction of silos without platforms as such inside the inner mold forms, by utilizing tension members that hold inner mold form sections together to support horizontal boards or like supports disposed about the inner periphery only of a silo being constructed.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is an improvement upon US. Pat. No. 3,619,431 issued Nov. 9-, 1971.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 283,715, filed Aug. 25, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the art of silo construction, and particularly in the art of poured concrete silo construction, there has recently been developed a novel method and apparatus for making silos in boot strap fashion, by serially pouring rings thereof one after the other.

Such a novel procedure is set forth fully in the aboveidentified patent, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Such a construction utilizes a platform that spans the interior of the inner mold form, at a given level, and upon which workers, mechanics and the like may stand during the construction of another higher inner mold form, with the platform being raised vertically from one mold form to the other.

Other types of silo construction (and for other structures as well) require the use of ground-based supports, which the abovementioned invention of the aboveidentified patent is an improvement upon.

THE PRESENT INVENTION It has been found, the silos of extremely large sizes, for example, 40 feet or more in diameter, may be constructed without requiring a platform support of the type set forth in the above-identified patent, but wherein the support for workmen, mechanics and the like is disposed only about the inner periphery of the silo. Moreover, it has been found that such support may, in turn, be supported by tensioning members that are used to hold the sections that comprise the inner mold form together, in abuttment with one another.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is therefore directed toward providing a novel inner mold form cnstruction for silos, as well as novel mold sections therefor, and as well as a novel method of constructing a silo, wherein tensioning members that hold adjacent inner mold form sections together comprise supports for horizontal members that in turn provide a work area or support for workmen, mechanics and the like, Without requiring the use of a platform as such.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel inner mold section for silo and like construction.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel inner mold for silo and like construction. 1

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following brief description of the drawing figure, detailed description of the preferred embodiment, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top perspective view ofa portion of the inside of a silo as it is being constructed, with portions broken away and illustrated in section for the purpose 2 of clarity, and wherein the details of construction of the sections of the inner mold form are clearly illustrated together with their connections one to the other.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 in detail, it will be seen that the apparatus for silo construction includes an inner mold l and and outer mold 11. For purposes of clarity a next lower pair 10 and 11' are illustrated, having already been filled with poured concrete or the like 12. Thus, the mold sections that comprise mold forms 10' and 11 may be disposed upon the ground, if desired, or may be mold forms for a ring of the silo disposed well above the ground, such making no essential difference for the purpose of this invention. With reference to the mold form 10, it will be seen that, for the portion of the generally circular mold form illustrated, sections 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are illustrated. It will be apparent that sections 13 and 14 are connected together, with their planar members (which may have a slight arcuate curve as illustrated if desired) in abuttment along a parting line 20. Similarly, other adjacent ones ofthese sections are disposed one in abuttment with the other, as illustrated.

The sections of the mold form 10' disposed immediately therebeneath are identified by the numerals 13', 14, 15', l6, l7, and 18'. The section 13 is connected to the section 13' by some suitable means, such as that illustrated in the patent identified above, and not illustrated in this particular application, in that it forms no specific part of this invention. Similarly, sections of the inner mold form are connected to sections of a nextsubjacent inner mold form in a like manner.

With reference to mold section 14, by way of example only (with all the mold sections of the inner mold being substantially identical in construction), the mold section 14 comprises a generally pllanar member, which may have vertical and horizontal supports as do the mold sections in the above-identified US. Pat. No. 3,619,431, for purposes of support, with the generally planar portion 21 thereof being adapted to distort upon the spcace between such inner mold section 14 and an outer mold section (radially outward) being filled with concrete, to create slight bulges or the like therebetween, as, once again is disclosed most clearly in US. Pat. No. 3,619,431, the disclosure of which is incorporated in this application by reference. It will be understood,'by way of background, that the planar members 21 therefor may be straight metal sheets, wood panels or the like, and may have suitable supports if desired, and may be flat, or can be constructed to have a slight arcuate curvature as desired. In most instances, however, the thickness thereof relative to any supports around the edges thereof (not shown) will be carefully controlled, and maintained, depending upon the material and size thereof, as well as dependent upon the pressure that the same will be subjected to during pouring of the concrete, such that a predetermined amount of distortion of the planar member 21 of the mold section 14 will occur, such that, after the concrete 12 solidifies, the inner wall thereof will have gentle variations that the inner mold ring (such as that 10, 10') may be locked in engagement therewith, with the various sections of the inner mold ring being tightly secured together, as a unitary ring, and with certain portions of the mold sections thereof complementally interfitting with adjacent slight recesses of concrete, and with certain bulges of the sections having slight bulges of concrete on an opposite surface thereof in complemental interfittment therewith. Thus, it will be clear that a given mold ring such as 10, may be selfsupported by an already poured and substantially hardened concrete ring such as that 12 disposed outside of said inner mold ring and inside of an associated outer mold ring 11'. This support will be analogous to a friction fit, and will support workmen, mechanics and the like during the construction of a next higher mold ring or rings.

With reference now to the mold section 14, it will be understood that vertical edges and 22 thereof are in abuttment with corresponding vertical edges of adjacent sections 13 and 15, respectively. The section 14 has chain type connection means 23 and 24 (disposed at the same general vertical elevation), each being affixed to the planar member 21, by threaded fasteners, weldments or the like, or by any suitable means. It will be understood, while the chains 23, 24 are described as being affixed to the planar member 21, if the planar member 21 were to have vertical supports as disclosed in the above-identified patent along edges 20, 22 thereof, the chains could also be affixed thereto, within the meaning of planar member", to define a section 14 with or without angle iron or other types of supports. In any event, the chain 23 has a tension member, bar, wire or the like 25 connected thereto, by a hook or the like at one end passing through a link of the chain, as illustrated, and with the opposite end being similarly connected to another chain such as that 26 of that section 13, which also is at the same general elevation as each of the chains 23 and 24. It will thus be understood that the tension member 25 is slightly shorter than, but substantially spans a pair of sections 13, 14 or planar members of which such sections are constructed, with the tension members 25, 26 each being geometric representations of chords of a circle, as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 1.

The chain 24 is similarly connected to a like tension member 26, that in turn is connected to a chain 27 of a mold inner section 15.

Along one edge 20 of the section 14, and carried thereby (although it could be carried by the mold section 13 also along the parting line formed along the edge 20) there is provided a tightening member 28, carried by the mold section 14, and pivotally movable toward and away from the planar member 21, away from and into (respectively) engagement with the tensioning bar or cable 25, to engage the cable 25 as illustrated in FIG. 1, for tensioning the same between the chains 23 and 26, and for urging the abutting edges along the parting line 20 into tight engagement.

The tension member 26 is provided with a tightening lever 30, carried by the section 15, for example It will be noted that the tension members 26 and 25 cross each other approximately midway of the section 14, as do other tension members cross each other approximately midway of other sections with which they are in engagement by chains or like connection means. It will also be noted that not only is the section 14 urged into tight abuttment with section 13 as illustrated and descsribed above, but that the section 14 is also urged into tight abuttment against section 15, along the parting line formed by edge 22. Similarly, every section is urged into tight edge-to-edge abuttment with sections on opposite sides thereof.

It will also be apparent that, as might be viewed from internally of a circular mold form constructed as described above, all of the chains 24, 23, etc. and tension members 26, 25, etc. are substantially at the same elevation, resulting in a substantially horizontal web that may be used for support. Moreover, the levers 28, 30 are also substantially at the same horizontal elevation, in that they must engage the tension members such as 25, 26. In this regard, it will be noted that the radial innermost edges of the levers 28, 30 may be notched or grooved (not illustrated) for receiving associated tension member 25 or 26 therein, if desired. In any event, it will be clear that the arrangement above described will accommodate boards, or other suitable horizontal supporting members such as planks or the like such as 31, 32, illustrated in FIG. 1.

Moreover, an arrangement of chains 23, 24, tension members 25, 26, and tightening levers 28, 30 may be provided at a vertically spaced location along the same mold sections, as illustrated for the arrangement generally designated by the numeral 33 in FIG. 1. It is not believed to be necessary to describe the arrangement 33 in detail, it being sufficient to indicate that such will be constructed in a substantially identical, or at least similar manner to that described in detail above with respect to the arrangement generally indicated by the numeral 19. Moreover, if desired, a plurality of horizontally spaced such arrangements may be utilized, to even more securely clamp adjacent mold sections together to form a complete inner mold, if desired. However, in most instances, two vertically spaced such arrangements 19 and 33 may be provided, one near the upper ends of the inner mold sections, and one near the lower ends of the inner mold sections.

It will be further understood, that in accordance with the method of this invention, one may stand upon planks or other horizontal supports such as those 31, or 32, that are carried by an arrangement such as that 19 or 33 that connects inner mold sections together, of one ring of inner mold sections, that in turn, is in engagement as aforesaid with an already poured and substantially hardened concrete ring such as that 12, while constructing the next higher inner mold sections into anotherring, or even while constructing two or more higher mold sections, as desired. It will also be understood that workers and the like may rely upon support from inner mold sections as described above, while constructing next higher outer mold sections, or even a plurality of higher mold sections, into an arcuate arrangement.

It will further be apparent that while the arrangement described above has been with respect to silos of circular cross'section, as viewed in a horizontal plane, other arcuate configurations of silos could also be constructed in accordance with the same techniques.

It will further be understood that silo mold section disassembly may also be effected, in a reverse manner, by workmen and the like standing upon plants of one mold ring while disassemblying sections of a next higher mold ring, and then by climbing down to the next lower mold ring and standing on planks carried thereby while disassemblying the superjacent mold ring sections.

It will therefore be apparent that the techniques and methods set forth herein will accommodate the construction of silos of 40 foot, 60 foot, and even larger diameters, as desired, which heretofore has required the utilization of platforms that span the silos, and which, because of such silo sizes (diameters) would present substantial difficulties in periodic raising of silo platforms during their construction. Moreover, if desired, other means of anchoring the planar members that comprise the sections of the inner mold rings to the previously formed concrete rings may be provided, if desired, other than the distortion characteristics of the planar members set forth above herein. For example, if desired, it may be helpful in some instances to drive rods into the concrete, after formation, through an inner mold ring, or even to insert rods (not shown) through inner mold ring sections such as l6, 17 or the like, into the space occupied, or to be occupied by concrete outwardly thereof, such that the concrete will harden about such rings, and inasmuch as such rings would already be in engagement with the mold sections 16' or l7 or the like, would securely fasten such mold sect-ions thereof. However, on disassembly, the pins or like connections would have to be removed from either the concrete ring in which they are engaged, or from the sections, in order to permit such disassembly of that mold ring having such sections therein. However, it will be understood that the techniques of this invention are intended to encompass any manner of securing a given inner mold ring in a desired vertical position, and that this invention is principally directed toward utilizing the presence of that inner mold ring supported in some manner, as a support for constructing one or more higher mold rings, by horizontal supports such as the planks 32, 31, disposed only about the inner periphery of the inner mold rings, and not completely spanning the inner mold rings.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the details of construction, as well as in the use and operation of the various facets of this invention, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A generally cylindrical inner mold form of ringlike construction, for use in the construction of poured concrete silos and the like, in which multiple rings of concrete or the like are poured one after the other between inner and outer mold rings without the use of a platform spanning inner rings of the mold form, and without the use of a ground-supported platform, the inner mold ring comprising a plurality of generally rectangular planar members of substantially similar sizes, arranged into a generally circular configuration, with adjacent vertical edges in abuttment, and with each said planar member having a pair of means for connecting tension members thereto, affixed to said planar member along opposite vertical edges thereof, at substantially the same vertical elevation, and including tension members each of a length slightly less than the horizontal width of two adjacent said planar members in abuttment, each said tension member being connected to a connecting means along one vertical edge of one planar member and being connected to a next adjacent planar member along a vertical edge thereof, and spanning the vertical edges of the adjacent planar members that are in abuttment with each other along a mating line, and including a tightening member carried by one of the planar members along the mating line of abuttment, for engaging said tension member, said tightening member being pivotally movable toward and away from the planar member upon which it is mounted, and correspondingly out of and into tightening engagement with said tension member, and wherein each said panel member has two said tension members connected thereto that cross each other substantially along the vertical center line of the planar member, with said connecting means, tension members, and tightening members being at the same general vertical elevation, in order to accommodate planar supports disposed on and carried by tightened said tension members.

2. The construction of claim 1, wherein there are two vertically spaced arrangements of said connecting means, tension members, and tightening members arranged about the inner periphery of the mold form. 

1. A generally cylindrical inner mold form of ring-like construction, for use in the construction of poured concrete silos and the like, in which multiple rings of concrete or the like are poured one after the other between inner and outer mold rings without the use of a platform spanning inner rings of the mold form, and without the use of a ground-supported platform, the inner mold ring comprising a plurality of generally rectangular planar members of substantially similar sizes, arranged into a generally circular configuration, with adjacent vertical edges in abuttment, and with each said planar member having a pair of means for connecting tension members thereto, affixed to said planar member along opposite vertical edges thereof, at substantially the same vertical elevation, and including tension members each of a length slightly less than the horizontal width of two adjacent said planar members in abuttment, each said tension member being connected to a connecting means along one vertical edge of one planar member and being connected to a next adjacent planar member along a vertical edge thereof, and spanning the vertical edges of the adjacent planar members that are in abuttment with each other along a mating line, and including a tightening member carried by one of the planar members along the mating line of abuttment, for engaging said tension member, said tightening member being pivotally movable toward and away from the planar member upon which it is mounted, and correspondingly out of and into tightening engagement with said tension member, and wherein each said panel member has two said tension members connected thereto that cross each other substantially along the vertical center line of the planar member, with said connecting means, tension members, and tightening members being at the same general vertical elevation, in order to accommodate planar supports disposed on and carried by tightened said tension members.
 2. The construction of claim 1, wherein there are two vertically spaced arrangements of said connecting means, tension members, and tightening members arranged about the inner periphery of the mold form. 